Drain device and refrigerator having the same

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are a drain device and a refrigerator having the same, wherein a drain pipe is formed to have a single passage, an extension portion is disposed in the middle of the passage, and a drain valve opened and closed by defrosted water or am air pressure difference is provided in the extension portion, resulting in simplification of a structure of the drain device, reduction of a fabricating cost, and facilitation of an installation even in a small space.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a drain device for a refrigerator, and particularly, to a drain device, capable of minimizing introduction of external air into a storage chamber when a pressure within the storage chamber and an external pressure are balanced, and simultaneously allowing the external air to be introduced into the storage chamber to facilitate opening and closing of a door when the pressure within the storage chamber changes, and discharging defrosted water to the exterior, and a refrigerator having the same.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, a refrigerator includes a refrigerator main body having a cooling chamber for keeping foods or the like, and a refrigerator door for opening and closing the cooling chamber.

The refrigerator main body includes a refrigeration cycle provided with a compressor, a condenser, an expansion apparatus and an evaporator, and the compressor and the condenser are installed in a machine chamber provided in the refrigerator main body. The evaporator is installed within a wall surface of the refrigerator main body.

A defrosting heater for defrosting frost stuck on the evaporator is installed at the evaporator or near the evaporator. A defrosted water receiving unit for collecting defrosted water generated from the evaporator upon defrosting is installed near the defrosting heater. A water collection tray may be disposed in the machine chamber of the refrigerator main body so as to urge the defrosted water collected in the defrosted water receiving unit to be discharged via a discharge pipe.

With the configuration of the related art refrigerator, when the refrigerator door is open and then closed, external air with a temperature higher than internal air of the cooling chamber is introduced into the cooling chamber. The internal air of the cooling chamber and the external air introduced into the cooling chamber cause a temperature difference, which contracts the internal air of the cooling chamber. Accordingly, a cooling fan for lowering the increased temperature of the cooling chamber is driven, so the internal air of the cooling chamber flows towards the evaporator.

Responsive to that, a pressure within the cooling chamber is drastically lowered so as to be difficult to open the refrigerator door. Hence, a pressure discrepancy device is provided for overcoming the difference between the pressure within the cooling chamber and an external pressure by allowing the external air to be introduced into the cooling chamber.

An example of the pressure discrepancy device is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0274502 (hereinafter, referred to as prior reference). The pressure discrepancy device is configured by including a sub suction pipe disposed at one side of a drain hose for sucking external air therethrough, and a valve member coupled to an end portion of the sub suction pipe for opening and closing an air inlet responsive to air flow.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, in the prior reference, the valve member should be fabricated separate from the drain hose, so its fabrication is not easy and the assembly operation is complicated. Furthermore, the valve member has a complicated structure by including an opening and closing piece, a fixing hole to which the opening and closing piece is fixed, a coupling hole corresponding to the fixing hole, a groove formed at an inner surface of the opening and closing piece, a valve cover, a fixing protrusion, a stopping jaw corresponding to the fixing protrusion, a fixing groove for inserting the fixing hole therein and the like, so the valve member needs many numbers of components, which make it difficult to fabricate the valve member.

Solution to Problem

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a drain device capable of reducing a fabricating cost by simplifying the structure and simultaneously decreasing an installation space, and a fabrication method thereof.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a drain device including a drain pipe having openings at both sides thereof so as to have a single passage in a longitudinal direction, and a valve member movably inserted in the drain pipe and configured to selectively open and close the passage of the drain pipe, wherein an extension portion is formed by extending in a radial direction in the middle of the passage of the drain pipe, and the extension portion is formed to be greater than a diameter of the valve member such that the passage is open when the valve member moves in the radial direction of the passage.

In accordance with another embodiment, there is provided a drain device including a drain pipe provided with first and second passages in a longitudinal direction, both ends of each passage being open, and an extension portion present between the first passage and the second passage, the extension portion extending greater than a diameter of the second passage, and a valve member inserted into the extension valve to selectively open and close the second passage, wherein a center in an axial direction of the first passage and that of the second passage have a preset interval therebetween.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerator including a refrigerator main body having at least one storage chamber for keeping foods, an evaporator disposed in the refrigerator main body to generate cold air, a discharge unit disposed below the evaporator to urge defrosted water generated from the evaporator discharged out, and a drain device disposed at the discharge unit and configured to discharge the defrosted water generated from the evaporator and guide external air into the storage chamber of the refrigerator main body, wherein the drain device has the aforesaid configuration.

In accordance with the drain device and the refrigerator having the same, a drain pipe is formed to have a single passage, an extension portion is disposed in the middle of the passage, and a drain valve opened and closed by defrosted water or am air pressure difference is provided in the extension portion, resulting in simplification of a structure of the drain device, reduction of a fabricating cost, and facilitation of an installation even in a small space.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

Thus, the drain device, by which defrosted water generated in the evaporator is discharged and external air is introduced into the storage chamber, can be simplified, thereby remarkably reducing a fabricating cost and facilitating installation even in a small installation space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a refrigerator according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing an inside of a machine chamber of the refrigerator;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of a drain device of the refrigerator of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of a drain device of the refrigerator of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are overviews showing variations of an extension portion provided in the drain device of the refrigerator of FIGS. 3 or 4; and

FIGS. 7 to 9 are sectional views sequentially showing an operation of the drain device of the refrigerator of FIG. 3.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Description will now be given in detail of a drain device and a refrigerator having the same according to an embodiment, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a refrigerator according to the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a rear view showing an inside of a machine chamber of the refrigerator, FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of a drain device of the refrigerator of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of a drain device of the refrigerator of FIG. 2, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are overviews showing variations of an extension portion provided in the drain device of the refrigerator of FIG. 3 or 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a refrigerator according to an embodiment may include a refrigerator main body 1 having a storage chamber 11 for keeping foods or the like, and refrigerator doors 2 coupled to the refrigerator main body 1 for opening and closing an opening of the storage chamber 11.

The refrigerator main body 1 may be partitioned by a partition wall 14 into an upper refrigerating chamber 12 and a lower freezing chamber 13, and each chamber may have a front opening. A rear side at a lower side of the refrigerator main body 1 is shown, having a machine chamber 15 in which various components including a compressor 3 and a condenser 4 are accommodated.

An evaporator 5 for generating cold air may be provided at a rear side of the storage chamber 11. A defrosting heater 6 for removing frost stuck on the evaporator 5 may be installed at a lower side of the evaporator 5 or near the evaporator 5. A discharge unit 100 for collecting defrosted water generated from the evaporator 5 upon operating the defrosting heater 6 and discharging the collected defrosted water into a water collection tray 7 disposed in the machine chamber 15 may be provided at a lower side of the evaporator 9 or a lower side of the defrosting heater 6.

The discharge unit 100 may include a defrosted water receiving unit 110 for collecting the defrosted water from the evaporator 5 and having a drain hole 111 for discharging the defrosted water therethrough, a drain pipe 120 disposed below the defrosted water receiving unit 110 and communicated with the drain hole 111 of the defrosted water receiving unit 110 so as to discharge the defrosted water within the defrosted water receiving unit 110 into the water collection tray 7, and a drain valve 130 inserted into the drain pipe 120 for selectively opening or closing a passage of the drain pipe 120 to discharge the defrosted water, and also for urging external air introduced into the storage chamber 11 or blocking external air introduced into the storage chamber 11. The drain valve 130 may be formed in a shape like a ball, which is made of a material having a lower gravity than water.

The drain pipe 120 may be configured with one pipe so as to define a single passage 121, as shown in FIG. 3. The drain pipe 120 may include an extension portion 122 extending to be greater than an inner diameter of the passage 121 such that the drain valve 130 present in the middle of the passage 121 can move in a radial direction, in more detail, in an inclined direction so as to open the passage 121. Here, for the sake of explanation, based upon the extension portion 122, an upper side of the extension portion 122 is referred to as a first passage 125 and a lower side thereof is referred to as a second passage 126.

Centers in axial directions of the first passage 125 and the second passage 126 may be formed on the same axis. However, if so, the drain valve 130 may be pushed by a pressure of external air sucked via the second passage 126 to be moved longitudinally, thereby causing the chance of blocking the first passage 125. Hence, if possible, the center in the axial direction of the first passage 125 and the center in the axial direction of the second passage 126 may be deviated from each other by a preset interval ?t.

An inner diameter D1 of the first passage 125 and an inner diameter D2 of the second passage 126 may be formed the same; however, if so, the drain valve 130 should be formed to have a diameter as great as being capable of opening and closing the second passage 126, namely, to be greater than the inner diameter D2 of the second passage 126. Accordingly, when the first passage 125 and the second passage 126 have the same diameter, the drain valve 130 should have a diameter greater than the inner diameter D1 of the first passage 125 and be made of a material having a self-restoring force in order to be pushed into the extension portion 122. Therefore, if the inner diameter D1 of the first passage 125 is greater than the inner diameter D2 of the second passage 126, more exactly, an outer diameter D3 of the drain valve 130, an installation of the drain valve 130 can be facilitated. However, this case may raise a concern about separation of the drain valve 130 during operation. In addition, similar to the former, if the inner diameters D1 and D2 of the first and second passages 125 and 126 are the same, the concern about the separation of the drain valve 130 can be overcome. Hence, appropriate diameters of the first and second passages 125 and 126 may be selected by consideration of the two cases.

A guide 123 may further be formed, as shown in FIG. 4, between the first passage 125 and the extension portion 122. The guide 123 may function as restricting to some degree the drain valve 130 from being separated if the first passage 125 has a greater outer diameter than that of the drain valve 130, and simultaneously function as guiding defrosted water to one side of the drain valve 130. Hence, the guide 123 may be formed to have a inclination angle inclined towards a central axis of the first passage 125 at the extension portion 122.

The extension portion 122, as shown in FIG. 3, may be formed in a shape similar to a lozenge. Alternatively, the extension portion 122 may be formed to have different extended lengths and inclination angles in a circumferential direction such that the drain valve 130 can open and close the second passage 126 with moving always in a constant direction. For instance, referring to FIG. 5, a right extension portion 122 a may be more extensive than the left extension portion 122 b and a inclination angle 1 of the right extension portion 122 a may be gentler (smaller) than a inclination angle 2 of the left extension portion 122 b, such that the drain valve 130 is pressed in a right direction in the drawing to be pushed towards the right extension portion 122 a.

The extension portion 122 may also be formed such that a point connected to the second passage 126 can be different in a circumferential direction. Consequently, the drain valve 130 may move in a constant direction, namely, towards the right extension portion 122 a. For example, if the height at which the extension portion 122 starts is the same, when defrosted water is dropped down in a longitudinal direction of the drain valve 130, an angle of supporting the drain valve 130 with respect to the dropped direction of the defrosted water becomes the same, which may result in a delay of an open time of the drain valve 130. However, if the height of the extension portion 122 being started is different by a preset height ?h, as shown in FIG. 6, a direction of supporting the drain valve 130 with respect to the dropped direction of the defrosted water may change, thereby shortening the open time of the drain valve 130. The same result may be obtained even when external air is introduced via the second passage 126.

The refrigerator having the drain device with the configuration may have the following operational effects.

That is, referring to FIG. 7, if the drain valve 130 blocks the second passage 126 of the drain pipe 120 by being laid on the second passage 126, external air may be blocked due to the drain valve 130, thereby not being introduced into the storage chamber 11.

Afterwards, if a defrosting operation of the refrigerator is executed and thereby defrosted water is generated, the defrosted water, as shown in FIG. 8, is first collected in the defrosted water receiving unit 110 and then introduced into the first passage 125 of the drain pipe 120 via the drain hole 111. The defrosted water then flows down into the extension portion 122 via the first passage 125, thereby pressing the drain valve 130 in a radial direction in the extension portion 122. Accordingly, the drain valve 130 is pushed towards the right extension portion 122 a in the drawing by the defrosted water, so the second passage 126 is open. Consequently, the defrosted water flows down via the second passage 126 to be discharged into the water collection tray 7. Here, since the drain valve 130 is pushed as much as the amount of introduced defrosted water to open the second passage 126, external air may not be introduced into the extension portion 122.

Afterwards, after the defrosted water is completely discharged, referring to FIG. 7, the drain valve 130 rolls down along the inclination surface of the extension portion 122 to close the second passage 126, thereby blocking the introduction of the external air via the second passage 126.

In the meantime, when a user opens and then closes the door 2, external air is introduced into the storage chamber 11. Responsive to this, air within the storage chamber 11 is contracted, accordingly, a pressure within the storage chamber 11 is lowered into a low pressure state. Consequently, a pressure near the first passage 125 is lowered more than a pressure near the second passage 126, thereby urging the drain valve 130 moved upwardly, as shown in FIG. 9. As the second passage 126 is open, external air is introduced into the storage chamber 11 sequentially via the extension portion 122 and the first passage 125. Accordingly, the storage chamber 11 overcomes the low pressure state. Hence, the user can easily open the door 2 with a less force. Here, after the storage chamber 11 overcomes the low pressure state due to the air introduction into the storage chamber 11, the drain valve 130 moves down along the inclination surface of the extension portion 122 by its own weight, thereby returning to the blocking position shown in FIG. 7.

Thus, the drain device, by which defrosted water generated in the evaporator is discharged and external air is introduced into the storage chamber, can be simplified, thereby remarkably reducing a fabricating cost and facilitating installation even in a small installation space. 

1. A drain device comprising: a drain pipe having openings at both sides thereof so as to have a single passage in a longitudinal direction; and a valve member movably inserted in the drain pipe and configured to selectively open and close the passage of the drain pipe, wherein an extension portion is formed by extending in a radial direction in the middle of the passage of the drain pipe, and the extension portion is formed to be greater than a diameter of the valve member such that the passage is open when the valve member moves in the radial direction of the passage.
 2. The drain device of claim 1, wherein the drain pipe is configured such that centers of both the opening are formed on different axes based upon the extension portion.
 3. The drain device of claim 1, wherein the drain pipe is configured such that inner diameters of both the opening are different based upon the extension portion.
 4. The drain device of claim 1, wherein a guide is protruded from an inner circumferential surface of the passage to be inclined downwardly.
 5. The drain device of claim 1, wherein the extension portion is configured such that an extended length thereof is different in a circumferential direction.
 6. The drain device of claim 1, wherein the extension portion is configured such that an extended inclination angle is different in a circumferential direction.
 7. The drain device of claim 1, wherein the extension portion is configured such that a start height thereof is different in a circumferential direction.
 8. The drain device of claim 1, wherein the valve member is formed in a shape of a ball.
 9. A drain device comprising: a drain pipe provided with first and second passages in a longitudinal direction, both ends of each passage being open, and an extension portion present between the first passage and the second passage, the extension portion extending greater than a diameter of the second passage; and a valve member inserted into the extension valve to selectively open and close the second passage, wherein a center in an axial direction of the first passage and that of the second passage have a preset interval therebetween.
 10. The drain device of claim 9, wherein an inner diameter of the first passage is different from an inner diameter of the second passage.
 11. The drain device of claim 10, wherein the inner diameter of the first passage is greater than the inner diameter of the second passage.
 12. The drain device of claim 9, wherein a guide for preventing separation of the valve member is formed between the first passage and the extension portion to be inclined downwardly.
 13. The drain device of claim 9, wherein the extension portion is configured such that a length extended from the second passage is different in a circumferential direction.
 14. The drain device of claim 9, wherein the extension portion is configured such that a inclination angle extended from the second passage is different in a circumferential direction.
 15. The drain device of claim 9, wherein the extension portion is configured such that a height at an extension-started point from the second passage is different in a circumferential direction.
 16. A refrigerator comprising: a refrigerator main body having at least one storage chamber for keeping foods; an evaporator disposed in the refrigerator main body to generate cold air; a discharge unit disposed below the evaporator to urge defrosted water generated from the evaporator discharged out; and a drain device disposed at the discharge unit and configured to discharge the defrosted water generated from the evaporator and guide external air into the storage chamber of the refrigerator main body, wherein the drain device is configured according to claim
 1. 